Amiri? Unstoppable! Stuttgart and Eintracht want him! He can play in the Champions League next season! He has an exit clause and can leave for little money! He earns twice as much elsewhere! In principle he’s already gone!
That’s a selection of the assessments that have been heard in the past few days when it comes to Nadiem Amiri’s sporting future. The player who raised FSV Mainz 05 to a higher footballing level in the second half of the season that ended on Saturday – and without whom the fight to stay in the league might not have ended well.
The reality, however, is different: the player, who came to Bruchweg from Bayer Leverkusen in January, has extended his two-year contract until mid-2028. “We are very, very happy about that,” says sporting director Christian Heidel. “We had the feeling that Nadiem was ready to commit himself for a longer period because he feels so comfortable in our club, in this city, with these people. That’s why we approached him to talk about a possible early extension.”
He doesn’t know whether Amiri would have left otherwise, and whether he would have been allowed to move for a small transfer fee is also beyond his knowledge, he added with a poker face. “The fact is, he didn’t do it. And his family, who were with us – mother, wife, brother – are totally happy that Nadiem decided to stay in Mainz,” said the manager. Of course, the contract will be changed – as is usual with extensions, the salary will increase – “but that was not the deciding factor.”
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The player himself says that the season that has just ended was one of the most emotional of his career. “Together with our fans and the entire city, as a team we were able to make what many thought impossible possible.” He is incredibly proud to have contributed to staying in the league, and now he is looking forward to “continuing this special story with the team Add chapter. This team and this city are unique.”
When he arrived in January, he “never thought it would turn out this way, that it would be love at first sight,” Amiri says in a video message. “You have grown close to my heart, which is why it was important to me to stay here and extend my contract.”
The turnaround contribution of the Ludwigshafener, who preferred Mainz’s non-relegation battle to his reserve role in Leverkusen despite the series of successes there, was no small. The fact that coach Bo Henriksen placed Leandro Barreiro, who was brought in as ten, in the double six made him even more valuable. Amiri not only proved to be a gifted kicker, but also a real fighter.
“Nadiem is a leader in every respect”
“His signing has given our team exactly what we were hoping for,” says Heidel. “With his creativity and skill, he was able to immediately help our offense and always worked hard for his team and our fans from the first minute to the final whistle. Nadiem is a footballer of international stature and an absolute team player with a big heart – whose contract extension can also be a sign for his colleagues, as was his move to Bruchweg at the beginning of the year.
Amiri’s scoring rate with one goal and four assists in 15 games might seem low. The value becomes significantly higher if you include the penultimate passes. Like the third goal against TSG Hoffenheim (4-1), which he initiated with a counterattack from his own half and a precise pass to Jonathan Burkardt, whose cross was converted by Brajan Gruda. Or the Toni Kroos memory pass against Borussia Dortmund (3-0) in Silvan Widmer’s run, which provided the template for Barreiro’s opening goal. Or his set pieces, several of which resulted in a goal with the next but one contact.
“Nadiem is a leader in every respect,” says Henriksen. “He trains very hard, but then has a smile on his face.” The coach and his teammates will be able to enjoy that for a while longer. “I always had a good feeling about Nadiem’s future,” said Heidel. “And all the people who told me ‘he’s as good as gone’ were fortunately wrong.”
